Last Updated: November 19, 2019
The year 1951 saw the birth of Joey Ramone and – most importantly for us guitarists – the now iconic Telecaster introduced to the world by Leo Fender!
It became the first successfully mass-produced solid body electric guitar, and has since been put to great use by legendary Tele players including ‘King of the Tele’ Roy Buchanan, and ‘Telemaster’ Danny Gatton.
But it doesn’t stop there. Almost everyone in the world of music, from rock to jazz, have utilized the Telecaster to great effect – Albert Lee, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Buckley, Prince, George Harrison, Muddy Waters, Brad Paisley, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Bryant, Mike Stern, and Freddie Stone to name just a few!
However, none of these would have been as memorable without that classic sound provided by a good Tele pickup – bright and twangy, with lots of soul.
While Tele bridge pickups are often fantastic, Tele neck pickups – in particular cheap and stock versions – have the reputation of being the least loved
guitar pickup of all time. More on this is in the guide, but it’s understandable why so many Tele players want to change their stock sets.
So, we’ve put together a short chart to highlight some of the best Telecaster pickup upgrades worth fitting to your Tele – some neck, some bridge, and some complete sets. Then stick around for a short guide on the basics of Telecaster pickups.
The Top 5 Telecaster Pickups:
What Makes a Telecaster Pickup?
There are two pickups on a standard Tele: the neck and bridge. Both are a little different from each other – both physically and tonally – although neither drift too far from a typical
single-coil pickup in their construction (magnetic pole-pieces held by a bobbin and wrapped in wire).
The Tele bridge pickup is considerably larger than the neck pickup, with wider, deeper bobbins (and therefore coils), while it also traditionally sits on a distinctive metal baseplate, often made of brass or steel. The neck pickup features a smaller bobbin, along with a removable metal cover, usually made from chrome or nickel-silver.
Tele Pickups: Setup and Configuration
Just like
Stratocaster pickups, the pickup setup on a Telecaster is pretty familiar. Typically, they will feature two single-coil pickups, with a three-way selector switch – allowing you to play them individually or both together – as well as individual tone and volume control knobs.
The bridge pickup is fixed to the guitar quite closely to the bridge, and is slanted so that the pole-pieces for the treble strings are closer to the bridge than those for the bass. This is why – as we’ll discuss below – a Telecaster bridge pickup offers such a trebly tone.
Finally, note that some Tele’s will offer a humbucker (sometimes two) instead of single-coils, usually on Tele Deluxe or Custom model.
What They Sound Like
Telecaster single-coils give the guitar its trademark bright and twangy tone, although both pickups offer slightly different sounds.
The bridge single-coil provides the bright and trebly sound that could be described as the true Tele tone. It’s clear and twangy, and is higher wound meaning it’s a little hotter and louder than the neck.
The neck is generally smoother and more balanced in tone compared to the bridge, but it delivers less volume and can be described as a bit lifeless – while it can also come across as muffled due to the metal cover. This is one of the reasons Tele neck pickups are one of the least favored pickups – and why most guitarists want to change them!
Any Disadvantages?
We have already beat upon the neck pickup enough, although we’ll reiterate that they can come across a little quieter and less soulful than the bridge pickup.
Otherwise, Tele pickups in general suffer from the same problems as any single-coil – including Strat or
P-90 pickups – and that is hum. This becomes more of an issue as you increase the volume and drive on your amp. They are therefore not ideal
pickups for metal or heavy rock.
However, some Tele pickups (like Fender’s Vintage Noiseless Tele set in our chart) go a long way to remedying the problem of hum.
The Final Word
Telecaster single-coils can be some of the most temperamental, noisy and hated pickups around – but they can equally be delightfully twangy, bright and soulful, and can make any Tele a vintage masterpiece. You just need to find a good pair, which can turn a noisy old beat-up Tele into an absolute tone monster.
Make sure you read some full reviews of the pickups on your shortlist, then check out some videos of those pickups in action. You’ll eventually settle on something that you love. Good luck!